A human rights defender who graduated from the University of BC has been freed from prison in Saudi Arabia. Loujain al-Hathloul has been in a Saudi prison for the last three years and says she was tortured, assaulted and abused while in custody. She returned to Saudi Arabia after graduating from UBC and was charged with spying for foreign parties and conspiring against the kingdom when she spoke up on behalf of women and demanded an end to the male guardianship system there. Although she has been released, al-Hathloul is still prevented from leaving Saudi Arabia and Amnesty International is c

The Oscar-winning Canadian acting legend, Christopher Plummer, whose storied career encompassed stage, television and film, has died. He was 91. Plummer's wife Elaine says he died "peacefully" at his home in Connecticut after suffering a fall two weeks ago. He was perhaps best-known for portraying Captain Georg von Trapp in "The Sound of Music," a part he never liked because he considered it wooden and one-dimensional. Plummer won his first Academy Award at the age of 82 for his supporting role as a widower who comes out of the closet in "Beginners." After the win in 2012, Plummer dismissed t

A mega pop star, a beloved activist and a relative of a ground-breaking politician have angered the Indian government by tweeting support for protesting farmers. It took just one tweet from Rihanna to anger the Indian government and supporters of Prime Minister Narendra Modi's party. Tens of thousands of farmers have been protesting new agriculture laws they say will devastate their earnings. Greta Thunberg and the niece of US Vice-President Kamala Harris are also among those who tweeted their support. Although Greta Thunberg tweeted again in the support of Indian farmers. She wrote "No amoun

After international pop star Rihanna showed her support to the protests, many international personalities have come forward in support of on going farmers protests in Delhi. Rihanna extended her support to farmers protesting on the borders of India's capital against the three agriculture laws introduced by the Central government last year and asked why people were not talking about it. The 32 year old pop star shared a news story by CNN on the internet shutdown in several districts of Haryana, New Delhi's neighbouring state. "Why aren't we talking about this?!", wrote Rihanna, as she added t

International pop star Rihanna extended her support to farmers protesting on the borders of India's capital against the three agriculture laws introduced by the Central government last year and asked why people were not talking about it. Taking to Twitter, the 32 year old pop star shared a news story by CNN on the internet shutdown in several districts of Delhi's neighbouring state Haryana after protestors broke barricades to enter New Delhi and clashed with police in several parts of the national capital during the January 26 'tractor rally' protest organised by farmers. The protestors also e

American pharmaceutical giant Johnson and Johnson says its vaccine is very good at preventing people from being hospitalized or dying from COVID-19.The vaccine is the first to use just a single dose and can be stored in a fridge for up to three months, making it a potential game changer in the COVID-19 vaccination campaign.The results aren't quite as good as those seen in the two vaccines Health Canada has already approved, with both Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna saying their vaccines showed 95 per cent efficacy against severe illness.Johnson and Johnson says it's single-dose vaccine is 85 per

Fashion mogul Peter Nygard's lawyers have told a judge they've hired a security company that will ensure their client follows rules for release if he is granted bail. The 79 year old was arrested last month in Winnipeg under the Extradition Act and is facing nine charges of sex trafficking and racketeering in the United States. Federal lawyers want Nygard to remain in custody and want to know how he'll pay for the security firm if his finances are in dire straits, as he has suggested. Peter Nygard will remain in jail for another week, despite his lawyers laying out an updated bail plan. Just

Preliminary lab tests suggest Moderna's COVID-19 vaccine produced a weaker immune response to the South African variant of the virus. So out of an abundance of caution, Moderna will test a possible booster dose against it. Vaccine manufacturers have been testing their shots against variants, including two that first emerged in Britain and South Africa. Pfizer has previously reported that its shot appears effective against the strain from Britain. Although some other research has raised questions about the vaccine's effectiveness on South African variant.

Someone hit it very big in a hard-luck Appalachian coal-mining community, where a jackpot-winning Powerball ticket worth $731 million was sold this week. The Maryland Lottery says the fifth-largest lottery prize in U.S. history was won by someone who bought a ticket at Coney Market in Lonaconing. That's in a remote corner of Maryland where jobs are few and poverty runs deep. Maryland is a state that allows lottery winners to remain anonymous. Shop owner Richard Ravenscroft told The Associated Press he hopes whoever won it will use it wisely and enable others to benefit as well.